The Shape of Things, juried by Adria Arch, showcases the work of 17 artists from the Greater Boston area: Mary Bablitch, Steven Cabral, Cyrille Conan, Monica DeSalvo, Carin Doben, Barbe Ennis, Bette Frank Leahy, Roberta Nigro Hall, Nancy Harrod, L. Marie Lamarche, Ellen Liner, David McCoy, Laura Menucci, Kimberly Quint, Allison Tanenhaus, Amantha Tsaros, and Leslie Zelamsky.
The exhibition featured 47 works, ranging from painting and mixed media to sculpture and video, all united by their innovative use of shape as a central element of design.
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Adria Arch is a Boston-based sculptor, painter, and installation artist who has been awarded residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sanskriti Foundation in Delhi, and in Auvillar, France. Her work is included in many private and public collections including the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Danforth Art, and the Fitchburg Art Museum, as well as Fidelity Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In 2019 her work was featured at the Fitchburg Art Museum, and in 2020 at the Cahoon Museum of American Art. Most recently, Arch was commissioned by Google to create a permanent room-sized installation. Arch has shown at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Brattleboro Art Museum in Vermont and the Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA. This year, she will present solo exhibitions at Lake George Arts Project and at San Luis Obispo Art Museum in California. Arch taught at Montserrat College of Art, Endicott College and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has lectured at the Danforth Museum, the Weston Arts and Innovation Center Women in Installation series, and the Boston Sculptors Gallery.
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The Shape of Abstraction: Tracing a Visual Revolution
presented by Adria Arch
Wednesday, June 25, 2025Boston-based artist and educator Adria Arch gave an engaging image-based presentation exploring the language of abstraction in art. This talk traced the evolution of abstract art in Western art history—beginning with early pioneers such as Hilma af Klint, Wassily Kandinsky, and Georgia O’Keeffe, through the explosive energy of the Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, and culminated in the work of contemporary artists who continue to redefine and expand abstraction today.
This visually rich presentation traced abstraction’s radical departure from representational traditions, examining how artists began to express emotional, spiritual, and intellectual concepts through non-objective forms, colors, and compositions. Arch highlighted pivotal moments when artists broke from convention to develop a new visual language that prioritized formal elements over literal depiction.
Special attention was given to pioneering women abstractionists whose contributions were often overlooked in traditional art historical narratives. The lecture concluded with an exploration of how contemporary artists continue to push the boundaries of abstraction, incorporating new technologies, cultural influences, and conceptual frameworks that revitalize this enduring artistic approach.
Cha Cha Heels, Amantha Tsaros; Fragile Balance, Nancy Harrod; Acceleration, Monica DeSalvo; Night Fever, Mary Bablitch, Small Study 24, Steven Cabral; Choice, Laura Menucci; High Wire, Kimberly Quint; MADIG Candy, Cyrille Conan; Resilience, Carin Doben; Web 2, Bette Frank Leahy
Opening Reception
Sunday, June 8, 2025, 5-7 pm
Gallery Hours
Thursday, 12-7 pm
Friday-Sunday, 12 -5 pm